Danica Patrick

Patrick was born on March 25, 1982, in Beloit, Wisconsin. She is the daughter of working-class parents Beverly Ann (née Flaten) and Terry Joseph "T. J." Patrick Jr. Over the years, the couple has owned a coffee shop and a glass company. Patrick has a younger sister. She is half Norwegian, as well as part Irish, French-Canadian, Italian, and Native American. Patrick was raised in Roscoe, Illinois.

She was a cheerleader at Hononegah Community High School in nearby Rockton in 1996. She spent her off-time babysitting for a nearby family when she was not racing. Initially she had no interest in racing; Patrick thought of a career as either a secretary, a singer, or a veterinarian. The sisters told their parents of their wish to race go-karts after a friend of Brooke's allowed her to drive one; they were each given a go-kart.

Patrick began karting at Sugar River Raceway in Brodhead, Wisconsin. Her father acted as her crew chief and her mother kept statistics on her racing. Patrick had no role models or idols; she was never "striving to achieve female goals", but aspired to "be the best [she] could be." In her debut race, she crashed into a concrete wall at 25 mph (40 km/h) due to a brake failure. She was not injured. Patrick improved to finish second out of twenty drivers at the year's end after a twenty-two race schedule. She gradually improved her eye to foot coordination, allowing her to set numerous age track records at Sugar River Raceway and Michiana Raceway Park. Following her interest in kart racing, Patrick dabbled in snowmobiles, motocross, and midget car racing.

At age 13, Patrick asked her parents about moving to California so she could compete throughout the year; they declined, citing business commitments. Nevertheless, she ventured across much of the Midwestern United States, and the rest of the country, to enable her to race. To help defray travel expenses, the family sold merchandise featuring Patrick and imposed a rule that prevented her from undertaking activities that would harm her public image. She won ten regional karting titles, and the World Karting Association Grand National Championship in the Yamaha Sportsman, and later HPV class three times: in 1994, 1996 and 1997.

Patrick was accepted into the Indianapolis-based Lyn St. James Foundation Driver Development Program in 1996. She was taught auto racing's business ventures, and her driving abilities were further refined. Her father often contacted newspapers weekly to chronicle his daughter's performance. Additionally, ABC and MTV ran television segments on Patrick in 1997. This exposure led to her being hired by John Mecom Jr. (introduced to Patrick by St. James two years earlier) to compete in the United Kingdom racing circuit. Patrick and her father visited Mecom's family, who agreed to sponsor her on the condition she was sent to a high-quality driving school for further refinement of her racing abilities. She ended up attending three driving schools, including Track Speed School at Sebring International Raceway and the Formula Ford driving school. Patrick later competed in a Sports Car Club of America race at Daytona International Speedway in May 1998.